Leeds

Leeds' population increased by about 36,100 between the last two censuses. This semi-automated article highlights some of the key changes among the local population.

The population passed 750,000

In the decade to 2011, the population of Leeds increased by 5.0%, from just over 715,000 to 751,000.

The addition of just over 36,000 people means this area's population increased at a slower rate than the total population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Leeds was home to, on average, 9.7 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was higher than the average across Yorkshire and The Humber

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across Yorkshire and The Humber, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

A younger Leeds

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Leeds decreased by one year, from 36 to 35 years.

This area had the second-lowest average age in Yorkshire and The Humber and remained somewhat younger than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The fall in age was because of an increase of just under 23,000 people between the ages of 20 and 29 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by just over 5,000.

About 18.0% of people in Leeds are aged between 20 and 29 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Leeds by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Leeds

The percentage of Leeds residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 3.1% to 3.5% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

In 2011, just over 1 in 17 (6.1%) reported being limited a little in their day-to-day activities, compared with 6.8% in 2001. The percentage of Leeds residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability remained close to 90.5%.

The proportion of people who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 3.5% in 2001 to 4.0% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 3.1% to 3.8%.

The proportion of people who are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability was lower than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of usual residents that reported being considerably limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

More single people in Leeds

Leeds saw Yorkshire and The Humber's third-largest rise in the proportion of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership.

In 2011, just over 4 in 10 (40.8%) people aged 16 and over in Leeds said they were single, compared with 34.1% in 2001. The percentage that said they were married decreased from 47.1% to 41.7%.

Across the region, only Kingston upon Hull (from 34.2% to 42.1%) and Sheffield (from 33.6% to 41.2%) saw a greater increase in the proportion of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership.

Every local authority area across Yorkshire and The Humber saw a rise in the proportion of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership, as the regional average grew from 28.6% to 33.9%.

The proportion of people who had never married or entered a civil partnership was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they were single across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

More students

The percentage of Leeds residents that were studying increased from 3.6% to 5.3% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

The percentage who said they were employed remained close to 52.5%, while the percentage of Leeds residents that were unemployed increased from 3.3% to 4.8%.

The proportion of students increased here at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 2.5% in 2001 to 3.5% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 2.6% to 3.5%.

The percentage of students in Leeds increased by 1.7 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 in Leeds, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that said they were in education, March 2001 and March 2011

Changes in family structure

The percentage of households in Leeds with only adult children living with their parents decreased from 8.7% to 8.4% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

In 2011, just under 3 in 10 (27.6%) households had at least one dependent child, compared with 28.8% in 2001. The percentage of households in Leeds without children increased from 62.5% to 64.0%.

The proportion of households with adult children living with their parents fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (which remained close to 9.3%). Across England, the percentage increased from 9.4% to 9.6%.

The proportion of households with only adult children living with their parents was lower than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of households where a parent lived with their adult children across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Religion in Leeds

The 2011 Census asked a voluntary question about religion. Of those who chose to disclose their religious affiliation, the largest percentage point increase in Leeds was among those who said they had no religion, rising 12.0 points.

In 2011, 30.3% of respondents in Leeds gave this answer to the question on religion, compared with 18.3% of those who answered in 2001.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the percentage of people who answered the question on religion that described themselves as having no religion increased from 15.3% to 27.8%, while across England the percentage went from 15.7% to 26.5%.

Of those who disclosed their religion in Leeds, 59.9% said they were Christian, compared with 74.9% in 2001. About 1.3% said they were Sikh, compared with 1.2% 10 years prior.

The percentage of people who disclosed a religious affiliation and did not state their religion decreased from 8.8% to 7.2%.

In Leeds, 6.8% chose not to answer the question on religious affiliation, compared with 8.1% in 2001. In Yorkshire and The Humber, 6.8% did not answer the voluntary question, compared with 7.7% in 2001. Across England, 7.2% of people did not answer, compared with 7.7% in 2001.

The population without a religion in Leeds increased by 12 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents who answered the voluntary question on religion in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Leeds by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Rise in private renting

The percentage of privately rented homes increased in Leeds at a faster rate than in Barnsley (the local authority area that shares the largest boundary with Leeds).

In Leeds, the proportion of private renting increased from 10.1% in 2001 to 17.9% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion in nearby Barnsley increased from 7.2% to 12.8%.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the share of privately rented homes increased from 9.1% to 15.9%.

The rate of social housing in Leeds fell from 25.1% to 22.0%, while the rate of home ownership decreased from 62.0% to 58.2%.

Private renting in Leeds increased by 7.8 percentage points

Percentage of households in Leeds, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Leeds residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 9.8% to 5.4% between the last two censuses.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just over 8 in 10 (81.9%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 68.3% in 2001. The percentage of Leeds residents that described their health as fair decreased from 21.9% to 12.7%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell here at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 10.3% in 2001 to 6.0% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Leeds decreased by 4.4 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Leeds, Yorkshire and The Humber and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

Ethnicity in Leeds

In 2011, 7.8% of Leeds residents said they were from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups, up from from 5.0% in 2001.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the percentage of people from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups increased from 4.7% to 7.3%, while across England the percentage went from 5.2% to 8.0%.

Around 85.1% of people in Leeds said they were from one of the White ethnic groups, compared with 91.9% in 2001. About 3.5% said they were from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups, compared with 1.4% 10 years prior.

The percentage of people who said they were from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed) increased from 1.4% to 2.6%.

The population from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups in Leeds increased by 2.8 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Leeds by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

More people worked short hours

The percentage of employed people in Leeds working less than 16 hours increased from 2.0% to 3.4% in the decade to 2011.

In 2011, just under 1 in 12 (8.2%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, compared with 11.1% in 2001.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 1.8% in 2001 to 3.0% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 1.9% to 3.1%.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week in Leeds increased by 1.4 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Leeds, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that said they had worked less than 16 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

More single parents

The percentage of households in Leeds, which comprised a single parent, increased from 9.8% to 10.9% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

In 2011, just under 3 in 10 (29.7%) households had a married couple, compared with 33.4% in 2001. The percentage of households in Leeds, which comprised a cohabiting couple, increased from 9.0% to 10.6%.

The proportion of single-parent households increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 9.5% in 2001 to 10.4% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 9.5% to 10.7%.

The percentage of households with a single-parent was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of households that had a single parent across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Change in unpaid care provision

The percentage of Leeds residents that provided at least 50 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 2.0% to 2.2% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

The percentage who reported providing between 20 and 49 hours of unpaid care each week remained close to 1.1%.

The proportion of people providing 50 hours, or more, of weekly unpaid care increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 2.3% in 2001 to 2.6% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 2.1% to 2.4%.

The proportion of people providing 50 hours, or more, of weekly unpaid care in Leeds remained close to 2.2%

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Leeds by care, March 2001 and March 2011

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